I have been working on a digital output board for the Empeg for my own uses. It's coming along nicely. Would anyone be interested in purchasing one assuming I get mine working? It will have S/PDIF output through RCA and most likely toslink as well. What do you think a reasonable price would be? Given the small production level, it wouldn't be real cheap, but obviously, the more people that agree to buy one, the cheaper it would be.

Stu

Yeah. I'd probably get one. Is it a kit or you building these things yourself? If it's a kit, you selling the components as well?

Any rough idea of pricing?

- Trevor

I guess it could be either way, that is a kit or prebuilt. The prebuilt ones would all be hand assembled by myself. Some of the components are hard to find, so a kit might be of interest to some people. Either way, you're going to have to solder (yourself) a ribbon cable to the Empeg board to feed the necessary signals into the dig. out board. If there are individual components you are interested in, I suppose I could sell those too.

Depending on quantity produced, I think a kit might go for around $60-$80 US, and a completed board for a $100-$120. These might come down of coarse if there are enough preorders. First, though, I must finish the prototype. We'll see how it goes.

Stu

I would want one - 100% .

I'll buy one. Can you put in the necessary buffers and pass out a i2s output through an audio alchemy style connector? There's a lot of audiophile outboard DACs that take i2s inputs. Please please?

Calvin

Yup, definately put me down for a prebuilt one if you're doing them. If not then I'll just have to get the soldering iron out

If you're a true audiophile then you'd be wanting a special gold plated empeg to get better sound out of it...

As a side note, can anybody really hear the difference between the ends of a interconnect? Apparently the way the copper is drawn makes a differences to which way the current should flow! If so then you've definately got better ears that I have!

- Trevor

Apparently the way the copper is drawn makes a differences to which way the current should flow!

Hah, good one.

These Audio Alchemy connectors are 5-pin mini-DIN right? I'll look into it incorporating that feature, but no promises.

Stu

I thought it was a joke as well but companies actually do print Amp & Speaker and little arrows on the ends speaker cables!
This company even make special power cords... Last paragraph of the "Standard Power Cords" section explains about why it's directional...

I've got some no name cheapo speaker wire and it's fine for me. I'm playing MP3s anyway

- Trevor

Man, those are impressive. What do they charge for them? I'd love to see some double blind tests with these. If one person in their company could hear the difference i'd be impressed.

Matthew

hahaha!! That is a good one!

Directional Speaker wire? C'mon, I've never heard sooo much B.S in my life! Speakers run on ALTERNATING power. THAT means the current is continuously changing DIRECTION within the wire!
If it was run DC, then the spaeker would only go in one direction until the polarity is reversed again, which would then be creating AC again.

Go figure. Buy the cheap but soft speaker wire!

Oh, I'd also buy one for sure! But only interested if it's TOS LINK AND SPDIF!

Would pay no more than 60-70$ for the components only.

You will never see a double-blind test on something like that (at least not a proper one) because it's bullshit. Any true double-blind test would reveal that.

We have Barbers shops and magazine stands ("same as" you'll say, I'm certain) with HiFi mag's extolling the virtues and benefits of products much like 1.5m phono leads selling in the region of $1500.
Ok, they're impedance matched, colour matched, made from the latest material including/excluding (delete where applicable) some rare earth element that's either in or out of vogue at the time of manufacture.

What I can't believe is that even a single digit proportion of their readership would allocate that kind of money to such a specific part of their HiFi setup. At the same time I'd attribute an even smaller number against those who really could tell the difference anyway.

My guess is a lot of these technologogy trends are merely an attempt at built-in obscalescence under a different guise.

That's what I thought as well

Some places do say their interconnects are directional because the shield is only connected at the source end. This way it will try to keep any interference away from the amp which I can sort of see the logic. But the whole idea about it being directional because of the copper is just too bizarre for me

- Trevor

I can understand the shield thing. Although I'd only lift the shields if I were having a noise problem, I wouldn't lift them on all interconnects.

In reply to:

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Can you put in the necessary buffers and pass out a i2s output through an audio alchemy style connector? There's a lot of audiophile outboard DACs that take i2s inputs.

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Does anybody know the pinout on the Audio Alchemy connector? I can't find it anywhere.

Stu

Mark me down for being interested in the digital output board. I'd be interested in a pre-made board. I am primarily interested in Toslink connection, but having both would hurt. Here's hoping that the final prototype comes very soon.

George

As soon as the first protoype is completed and fully functional, I will put together a website providing specs on the board as well as ordering details.

Stu

Are you going to be releasing a board for doing it surface mount? It sounds like you already had an smt design.

-NiCKEL

The board will be centered around a Crystal CS8405A-CS transmitter IC which is surface mount. It was the only device of its kind that I could locate that was readily available. Other than that, everything else will be standard-sized componentry.

Stu

At this point do you know what the overall size of the unit will be compared to the original?

I know in my Miata there is somewhat limited space.

I got the impression that you were trying to make the unit mainly through hole. My previous post was inquiring if you would be designing a surface mount version. For those of us with a limited space this might help.

Surface mount really isn't that much worse to solder.

I'm not sure I understand your question, but I will do my best to answer it. By the "original," I assume you are refering to the original dimensions of the Empeg itself. This being the case, the overall size will be the same, as the unit will go inside the Empeg, either in the spare drive bay or along the back. There will not be two versions of the board. At present, the board is 3.8 inches by 2.5 inches, but I will most likely increase the density and decrease the size after I know the circuit works as intended. I think with mostly conventional through hole components, I can still achieve more than enough density to fit it inside the Empeg. I still need to measure inside the Empeg to be sure things will fit though.

Stu

OMG I must be on crack

Sorry for the confusion, I havn't slept much in a long, long time and apparently I have become easilly confused

I, for god knows what reason, got this confused with the external tuner module. Obviously it is an entirly different beast.

People pay good money for CD demagnetizers too. I can't imagine what good such a device would do for optically read nonmagetic media.

What? You mean my green felt tip marker pen doesn't do anything when I put it around the edges?!?

- Trevor

Green marker... geez, I haven't heard that one in a long time!

I love how some companies can charge top dollar for Toslink cables. "Your zeros will be more round, more natural sounding... your ones will be crisper - giving you the detail you demand. You know, I bought a printer cable for my um... printer and it has gold connections on it. It is the "premium" cable. You should see the results! My word documents have that depth that can't be obtained by standard printer cables.... I'm glad I didn't waste that money on better paper.

Why don't companies own up and admit that the only good that gold does is reduce corrosion?

If you make them and sell them, and they will fit inside an empeg that already has two hard drives...then I will definitely buy it from you... 100%

That may or may not be possible. It would have to go in the back of the unit and it's very tight back there. Maybe with SMDs it would work. It just isn't possible to put all the features everyone wants into the board. We'll see. It depends how adventurous I feel.

Stu

I'm hip to that, as well, I'd hate to have to gve up a drive bay.
Not sure that I would, infact.